Recent Posts

READ:

3 John 1:4

⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

EXHORTATION:

The overriding sentiment with which the apostle John wrote this epistle is joy. From the outset of this epistle to Gaius, John was not hesitant to convey to Gaius his joy concerning him. He wrote in verses 1-3, “The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.” The apostle’s joy was immense, for he said, “I rejoiced greatly”.

The apostle John’s joy reminds us of a father’s joy mentioned in Proverbs 23:24 – “The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.” Proverbs 10:1 also mentions that “a wise son maketh a glad father”. Such familial joy should also exist in the church, which is the “household of faith” (Galatians 6:10; Ephesians 2:19), where pastors and elders function like “fathers” to the congregation. In Hebrews 13:17, members of the church are told how they can bring joy to their spiritual fathers who care for their souls. It says, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.”

It was Gaius’ obedience to the truth of God that caused the apostle John to greatly rejoice. Gaius had been careful to “walk in the truth”. To “walk in the truth” means that one has the truth constantly in one’s mind to influence one’s life, so as to always act according to its counsels. Besides embracing the Scriptural teachings mentally, one ought to live by them.

The word “walk” also denotes progress or advancement; hence “walking in truth” also means that one is progressing or growing spiritually according to the Scriptural truths. The desire of every faithful pastor is that the church members advance in their knowledge, sanctification and fruitfulness. He prayerfully wishes for every member of the church to be like Gaius, whose life had been a cause of the joy of leaders and Christians who had come to know him. Testimonies of his commitment and obedience to the truth had been heard in far places. Christians who are committed to know and live by the truth will have the special privilege and “joy” of being the cause of their pastor’s and fellow Christians’ “joy”.

READ:

Titus 2:13

¹³ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

EXHORTATION:

God’s grace, which brings salvation to us (v. 11), teaches us to live a sanctified life in this present world (v. 12) in anticipation of Christ’s glorious appearing (v. 13). As we live on earth in this present age, we anticipate our “blessed hope”, which is “the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”.

The Christian’s hope of Christ’s return is called “blessed”. The word “blessed” denotes all the blessings of His divine presence (cf. 1 Timothy 1:11; 6:15). What a blessing it is to have such a hope! Eternal blessings await Christians at His coming. When He comes, we shall be eternally delivered from all the temptations and trials of this world, and shall enter into eternal sinless perfection, joy, bliss, rewards and glory. We live every day with that sure hope. So we long for His return. Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

There has been some debate as to whether “that blessed hope” and “the glorious appearing” of Christ are two different events, namely Rapture (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:6-17) and His return to this earth at the end of the seven-year Tribulation (cf. Revelation 19:11-21). But there is little in this verse’s context to suggest that Paul was distinguishing those future events in connection with Christ’s return. Paul was simply saying that we are looking for the blessed hope, which is the appearing of the Lord. Although we understand those events of Rapture and His subsequent glorious return to rule the world for a thousand years (cf. Revelation 20:1- 10; Isaiah 2:1-4; 11; Ezekiel 37; Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14; Zechariah 14) as distinct, Paul is here referring to the return of Christ as a whole, and not its various stages. The blessed hope is a fixed historical reality which we long for.

Yet another great truth is mentioned by the apostle in this verse. It is Christ’s divinity. He is “the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”. Jesus’ life on earth, His claims about Himself, His doctrines and His works – all prove Him to be God. If one rejects His deity, one can only think of Christ as a deceiver and demonic person, like the Jews who killed Him. One can have Christ only as the divine Saviour – or not have Him at all.

READ:

Hebrews 12:2a

^2a Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.

EXHORTATION:

In the previous verse, we were exhorted: “let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (v. 1). Now we are told the secret of running our Christian race well — “Looking unto Jesus”. The Greek word for “looking” (aphorá?) literally means looking away from one thing to some other thing in a steadfast or intent manner. It has been used to denote the fixing of the mind upon something. It expresses the mental posture that all Christians should maintain in relation to Jesus, as they run their Christian race. It should be a holy habit of our souls to keep the Lord Jesus in our view.

Looking at Jesus at the beginning of the race and then totally keeping him out of view, is not the right kind of faith that Scripture teaches us. We should never lose focus of Christ in our Christian race. The reality is, some of the people who started the race with us may drop out of the race altogether while some others may be distracted and refuse to keep up, thus leaving us disappointed and troubled. But we must not let our minds be affected by their quitting. We must look away and fix our thoughts upon Christ. Even if all around us are a constant encouragement to us in our Christian race, it could well be our own lethargy and lust that hinder our race. Only when our minds are steadfastly fixed on Christ can we then overcome all distractions and obstacles, and complete our Christian race.

We look away from all else to Jesus only, for He is “the author and finisher of our faith”. The Greek word for “author” was translated earlier as “captain” in chapter 2, verse 10. There it was said of Christ, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Christ has set the path and He calls us to follow Him. It is Him, not the crowd, that we follow. The course of our race is shown by Him. He leads and we follow. He is our Guide, Strength and Motivation in our Christian race.

Jesus, the author of our faith, has entered the heavenly sanctuary as our forerunner (6:19-20) and has opened “a new and living way” for us that leads to this sanctuary (10:20). He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:17; 21:6; 22:13). He is our perfect Saviour and Captain who is able to perfect all who have placed their trust in Him.

READ:

Hebrews 13:8

⁸ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

EXHORTATION:

Nothing is permanent in this world. Even good and faithful church leaders will one day be gone. This could have been implied in the last phrase of the preceding verse, when the writer mentioned “the end of their conversation” (v. 7). In this fast-changing world, nothing seems dependable and permanent. Leaders come, and leaders go. One Leader, however, is unchangeable – Jesus Christ.

First, note that the writer uses both names, “Jesus” and “Christ”. The name “Jesus” embraces the work of God’s Son on earth as our Saviour. He has come to save His people from their sins. The name “Christ” is the official title that expresses the divinity of the Son. The double name occurs only three times in Hebrews (10:10; 13:8, 21).

Not only Christ’s divinity, but also His changelessness, is emphasised here – “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” In the beginning of this epistle, the author has already explained this truth of Christ. “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” (1:8-12).

Christ is essentially divine. There might have been changes of position and circumstances in our Lord’s life on earth, but He is God for ever! Of His divine attributes, He is unchanging. He is perfect and blessed in His righteousness and faithfulness, love and mercy, goodness and forbearance, etc. In His Word, Christ is unchanging. His words are true for ever. Of His offices, He is also unchangeable.

On the contrary, we are ever changing in many respects. Our outward appearances, our health, our economic condition, our abilities – all these change. But He is sublimely unchangeable, eternally and infinitely perfect. Through the changing scenes of our lives, He remains unchanged as our compassionate and loving divine Saviour.

READ:

Titus 2:7

⁷ In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.

EXHORTATION:

In this chapter of his epistle to Titus, Paul gives Titus various instructions on what should be inculcated in the lives of believers of different age groups. He was to instruct the aged men to be sober, grave and temperate (v. 2); the aged women to be holy and be teachers of good things to younger women (vv. 3-4); the younger women to be homemakers who love their husbands and children according to God’s Word (vv. 4-5); and the younger men to be sober-minded (v. 6).

Having propounded the spiritual principles for Christian men and women of all ages to abide by, the apostle added a precept unto Titus himself. Because the instruction for Titus follows immediately the precept for young men, it is generally thought that Titus was a young man (as Timothy also was), serving the Lord in the pastoral ministry of the church. Every teacher of God’s Word to young men must pay heed not only to instruct them on their spiritual duties, but also to show by example how they ought to live out their spiritual obligations. Every teacher of God’s Word, whether to the adults, youths or children, must be a role model with regard to good works. This has been the chief difference between godly teachers and false teachers. Paul had earlier told Titus about false teachers who “profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (1:16).

Titus was further instructed to show “uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity” in doctrine. In other words, he had to show “uncorruptness” (i.e. integrity), “gravity” (i.e. seriousness), and “sincerity” (i.e. purity) in the content and style of his teaching. Paul’s combined use of these terms in this phrase suggests that every teacher of God’s Word must faithfully and reverentially instruct the hearers on its doctrines. There must be a devout, solemn commitment to teach God’s Word truthfully, dutifully and submissively. Teachers of God’s Word must not only avoid distortions of its truth, but also eschew an irreverent attitude and conduct. Teachers of the Word must impart it in the right spirit. It is vital that sound doctrine is delivered with sanctified minds and irreproachable speech and conduct. Unwholesome and uncouth words, mannerisms and behaviour do not suit the preachers of God’s Word.

READ:

1 Timothy 4:16a

^16a Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them.

EXHORTATION:

Another of Paul’s admonition to Timothy, a young Christian leader and a pastor, was: “Take heed unto thyself”. It will be disastrous to have a man who tells people what to do but who never does the same on his own. Scripture must be carefully studied and applied in the pastor’s life before it is preached to others. A pastor should have this basic integrity to pay close attention to his life according to what he learns and preaches. Any man who falls short of this aspect is a hypocrite. The biblical integrity of a pastor requires both biblical knowledge and biblical character. The focal point of every pastoral ministry is biblical living and godliness.

This exhortation entails every Christian leader to be stringent in his self-examination to correct his shortcomings and make improvements in himself. There must be a passion for self-improvement. This counsel must be applied in matters of personal piety, manners, habits, appearance, speech, interactions with others, his skills, etc. Every Christian leader should be careful to avoid uncouth manners and offensive speech and behaviour. The influence of the Gospel that he preaches should be apparent in all aspects of his life. The Gospel refines those who have received it; it makes them refined in their appearance, habits and conduct. No boorish manner or habit that gives offence to others should be found in Christian leaders.

He also needs to take heed unto “the doctrine” that he preaches. He must pay attention to his teaching to ensure that it is thoroughly Scriptural. He should hold and teach only the truths of God’s Word. He must, as Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” In 2 Timothy 3:13-14, Paul further cautioned, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.”

We are also exhorted to “continue in them”. A Christian leader must be a man who would persevere in purity of life and doctrine. He cannot be a quitter. He should overcome temptations, endure all kinds of trials, opposition and persecution, and remain faithful to God and His Word, yea, even unto death.

Our sovereign God calls individuals to church offices so that they may lead, guide, and build up the church according to His divine will. Scripture clearly affirms this divine appointment and the establishment of godly leaders to serve His purposes within the body of Christ.

• Acts 20:28 – “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
• 1 Cor 12:28 – “And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers…” 
• Eph 4:11-12 - “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”.

We thank God for providing Gethsemane with faithful and capable men to lead and nourish the church according to His Word over the years. Let us also praise the Lord for the ongoing work of His Spirit among us, preparing those He has chosen for leadership in the coming three years. It is crucial that we, as a congregation, pray for those standing for election to the Board of Elders. Your support and prayers are integral to the election process. 

Below is a summary of the candidates’ prior service in our church. While not exhaustive, many of you are well-acquainted with their dedicated service to the Lord as committed members and seasoned leaders over the years. Let us continue to commit them and their families to the Lord, praying that they remain humble and diligent in their lives and ministries, and be effective instruments in His hands. Our prayers can support them in being faithful and zealous in fulfilling His purposes.

Rev. Dr Prabhudas Koshy

Since 1990, Pastor Koshy has been preaching God’s Word in Gethsemane, and was ordained as the Pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church in 1994. Since 1999, he has been leading the Church Session as its Chairman. 

His primary areas of ministry include preaching and teaching God’s Word during Sunday worship services, Tuesday prayer meetings, and various fellowship gatherings, seminars, retreats, and camps of Gethsemane B-P Church. He regularly offers pastoral counselling to members and worshippers, and leads the Pastoral Visitation Ministry. Additionally, he provides pastoral supervision and leadership for the Bible Witness Media Ministry, serving as the editor of the Bible Witness Magazine, and overseeing The Gethsemane Care Ministry and all church fellowship groups. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Gethsemane Bible Witness Limited (GBWL).

He also actively trains men for ministry through the Far Eastern Bible College (FEBC) and Gethsemane Bible Institutes in the Philippines, Ethiopia, and India. He conducts lectures on Theology, Book Studies of the Bible, and other topics for GBI Online. Pastor Koshy also holds a special course in Pastoral Biblical Studies for those in preaching and pastoral roles. He maintains correspondence with our missionaries, and visits our church’s mission stations from time to time.

He is married to Carolyn, who serves the Lord by assisting him in church ministries and providing her services in various ministries like GLF, Bible Witness Web Radio, GCM, etc. 

They have three married children: their eldest son, Pr Cornelius, serves as a preacher of the Word in our church, leading youth and choir ministries. Bro. Andronicus works as a media personnel with the Bible Witness Media Ministry (BWMM). Sis. Dorcas is married to Pastor Sujith Samuel, and they serve in Vizag, India. Pastor Koshy is also blessed with four grandchildren: Theophilus, Ahava (children of Cornelius and Abigail), Olivet (child of Andronicus and Esther), and Jedidiah (child of Sujith and Dorcas).

Elder Mah Chin Kwang

Since Gethsemane BPC’s inception in 1988, Elder Mah has been serving in the leadership of Gethsemane as an elder. He served as the Chairman of the Church Interim Committee till 1994, and of the Church Session (1995-1999).

He has laboured in various leadership roles at Gethsemane, such as Clerk-of-Session, Leader of Gethsemane Encouragers’ Ministry, Finance Committee Member, Building Committee Member, etc.

He teaches God’s Word in Catechism Class, Seniors’ Ministry, and The Gethsemane Care Ministry. He takes leadership in organising the Newcomers’ gatherings from time to time. Elder Mah has led several mission trips to places like Kuching, Pangasinan, Cebu, and India. He also serves as worship chairman on Sundays, and renders his advice and help in many areas of church administration. He has also been serving in GBWL’s Board of Directors as its Secretary. 

He is married to Lean Choo. She has been serving the Lord in GLF’s committee for many years, and participates in many of our fellowships and ministries with Elder Mah. They have two children, Melissa and Matthew. Melissa serves the Lord in BWMM, and Matthew serves in the GCM committee and other areas of the church ministries. Matthew is married to Fidelia, and they have two children, Ethan and Kate. 

Elder Ng Poh Kok

In 2008, Elder Ng and his family joined Gethsemane B-P Church. Prior to that, he served as a deacon in Sharon BPC (1978-2002) and as an elder (2002-2008). He also served in Sharon BPC as a Sunday School teacher and as its Superintendent.

Elder Ng was elected as an elder of our church in 2013. In the Session, he has served as the Treasurer. He has also served on the committees of Gethsemane Adults’ Fellowship and Gethsemane Men’s Fellowship. He co-labours with Pastor in the leadership of the Pastoral Visitation Ministry, and actively participates in the Gethsemane Seniors’ Ministry. 

He also serves as worship chairman on Sundays, and renders his advice and help in many areas of church administration. He is a member of GBWL’s Board of Directors. 

His wife, Sis Dorothy, and their two daughters, Sarah and Sharon, are also members of Gethsemane BPC. Sarah is married to Samuel Yong, and they both actively serve the Lord in our church. Sharon, who was married to our late missionary Dominino dela Cruz Jr, serves the Lord in our midst, together with her son Nehemiah.

Elder Francis Lee Kek Gee

Elder Francis and his family joined Gethsemane as members in 2008. Before that, he was a member of Life B-P Church (since 1988), and True Life B-P Church (2003-2007). Upon joining Gethsemane, he rendered his services in various church ministries.

He became a deacon in Gethsemane in 2011 and diligently served in the Session till 2021. He has faithfully served in the Session as the Clerk-of-Session and also as the Treasurer. He has been a member of the church’s Finance Committee.

He has served as the Camp Master in annual church camps, and is currently leading the committees of Gethsemane Adults’ Fellowship and Gethsemane Men’s Fellowship as their Advisor. He also leads the Gethsemane Defenders’ Ministry. He has also served along with Elder Mah in several past mission trips to our mission fields.

He sought theological learning through FEBC and graduated with a Certificate of Religious Knowledge in 2008 and a Certificate of Biblical Studies in 2010. Elder Francis has co-laboured with Elder Alan Choy to teach in our church’s Catechism Classes for the applicants for church membership. 

He served as a Project Owner on the Gethsemane Media Centre’s building renovation committee, and is now a member of GBWL’s Board of Directors.

His wife, Stephanie, and their four children, Sarah, Michelle, Samuel and Moses, worship and serve the Lord in Gethsemane BPC, and actively participate in various fellowship groups and ministries. Sis Sarah is married to Jordy Kay, who serves on the GCM Committee. God has blessed Elder Francis with two grandchildren, Elias and Ansel. 

Elder Low Boon Siang

Elder Low Boon Siang was saved and baptised in Gethsemane in the year 2001. As he grew spiritually, he served the Lord in various fellowships and ministries of the church: Youth Fellowship; Ushers’ Ministry; Young Adults’ Fellowship Committee; Audio-Visual Ministry; Men’s Fellowship Committee, and Church Camp Committees. He served the Lord in the Fundamental Christian Ministry of NTU and NIE (2006-2008), and the B-P Combined Youth Conference Committee (2007-2008).

Upon his election as a deacon in 2015, he was appointed to be a member of the Finance Committee. He helped to organise the 5th Missionary Conference held in Kuching, Sarawak. In the Church Session, from 2017-2019, he served as the Treasurer, and from 2019 to 2021, he served as the Clerk-of-Session. 

 As an elder, he actively led as an Advisor to the Young Adults’ Fellowship and Ushers’ Ministry. Since 2021, he has served as BOE’s Secretary and as a member of GBWL’s Board of Directors.

Through part-time studies, he has pursued theological training at Far Eastern Bible College and obtained the Certificate of Biblical Studies (CertBS). He teaches God’s Word to our children in Junior Worship and GCM, and regularly contributes to BWTV’s programmes for children.

 His wife, Hui Lin, and their three children, Christopher, Caleb and Claire, are active members of Gethsemane BPC, and they participate and serve in many fellowship groups and ministries.

Dn Lim Ah Sang

He was saved in the year 2000 through a tragic event, when his son of 8 years old, Vance, suffered a massive brain haemorrhage and was hospitalised in KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital. He was led to the Foochow Methodist Church (FMC) by the 88-year-old Mdm Lim (mother of a good friend of his wife, Chow Lin), who was instrumental in his salvation. She ministered to Dn Ah Sang’s family while Vance remained critically ill. He was baptised on June 11, 2000. 

In 2005, a former drug addict and FMC’s pastor together invited him to share his testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ in prison. By God’s grace, he has since served faithfully in the Prison Ministry. 

Dn Ah Sang and his family became members of Calvary Pandan BPC on July 4, 2010. He served two terms as a deacon from 2013 to 2019, during which he oversaw the Visitation Ministry and actively served in the Ushers’ Ministry.

Since January 2010, he has pursued part-time theological studies at FEBC, where he has accumulated 84 credits and graduated with both a Certificate of Religious Knowledge and a Certificate of Biblical Studies. Additionally, he regularly attends GBI courses to deepen his theological understanding. 

His family was led to join Gethsemane BPC on November 25, 2020. In Gethsemane, he regularly and actively participated in various fellowship groups and prayer meetings. He was appointed a deacon in Gethsemane BPC for 2021-2024. As a deacon, he served on the Pastoral Visitation team and was tasked with leading the Missionary Conference (June 2024). He also co-labours with our preachers and brethren in the Prison Ministry every Tuesday afternoon.

His wife, Sis Chow Lin, regularly participates in GLF and GAF. His son, Vance, also eagerly joins the prayer meetings, GAF and GMF with his parents, despite his severe health complications. As a family, they support the nomination of Dn Ah Sang as an elder of Gethsemane BP Church.

In preparation for his candidacy as an elder, the Board of Elders (BOE) conducted a comprehensive written examination and interview with him, covering all essential doctrines and practical matters. The pastor and elders have also provided him with guidance on effective service as an elder at Gethsemane. Having found him eligible according to Scriptural guidelines, the BOE has approved Dn Lim Ah Sang’s nomination as a first-time candidate for eldership at Gethsemane BPC. 

READ:

1 Timothy 4:13

¹³ Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

EXHORTATION:

This is the apostle Paul’s exhortation to Timothy concerning how he should fulfil his pastoral duty, as the apostle would be away from the church at Ephesus for a while. This exhortation defines the main tasks of anyone who enters the pastoral ministry of the church. The Greek verb translated as “give attendance” is a present active imperative; hence it issues to all the ministers a continuing command. The duties delineated in this exhortation ought to become every pastor’s way of life.

In Greek, the word for “give attendance” (proséch?) is often used as a nautical term to refer to controlling a ship to sail towards a definite direction. Paul’s emphasis here is that Timothy should see to it that his ministry in the church is heading towards the fulfilment of the tasks mentioned hereafter. Every pastor must prepare himself to effectively carry out the Scriptural duties outlined here.

The first duty of a pastor that is mentioned here is “reading”. It could mean either private or public reading of the Scriptures. The private reading of the Scriptures is of great necessity in preparing oneself for the next two duties of “exhortation” and “doctrine”. This duty is necessary for one to be thoroughly furnished for the work of a pastor to which one is called. Scripture is the fount of all wisdom and spiritual knowledge that a pastor ought to have in carrying out his pastoral duties. Though Timothy had known the Scriptures from a child and had been trained up in them, he still needed to give diligent attention to the reading of them. The continual careful reading of the Scriptures is of utmost importance to a pastor’s faithful and effective ministering of God’s Word in the church. He must also ensure that the Scriptures are read in the public gathering of the church, for everyone’s edification.

The pastor’s next two duties of “exhortation” and “doctrine” (or teaching) refer to the public expounding of Scripture to the advantage of believers. “Exhortation” (parákl?sis) is the act of encouraging, comforting and also admonishing from the Word of God. “Doctrine” denotes the teaching and instructing of the church from God’s Word. His duty is thus to disseminate and explain the Scriptures to edify the believers, defend the truth against all opponents, and refute errors and heresies contrary to them. To these duties, every minister of the Word should give his unreserved attention.

Sermon Text: Psalm 93:1–5
Speaker: Pastor Prabhudas Koshy
Date: 3rd November 2024

READ:

1 Timothy 4:12b

^12b But be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

EXHORTATION:

Though Timothy was a young man, he had been given a very responsible task of being a minister of God’s Word. His close association with the apostle Paul and the other early church leaders as a devout disciple, had equipped him for the solemn tasks required of a minister of God’s Word in Ephesus. His appointment was not haphazardly carried out. Even after his appointment, the apostle Paul paid attention to encourage him to rise above his fears and struggles to be an excellent minister of Jesus Christ.

Timothy was here challenged to be an “example” to God’s people. Paul used the Greek word tupos, which means “model” or “pattern”. Artists often use a model so that its features may be reproduced in his work. A tailor will usually lay a pattern on top of the material and cut the material to match the pattern. Likewise, a Christian leader ought to be an example for the people of God to follow. His life should demonstrate how one should live a life that pleases the Lord.

Paul then exhorted Timothy to be exemplary in six areas of spiritual life which are pertinent to Christian leadership. Firstly, “in word”. A Christian leader’s speech must be exemplary. His words and attitude in speech must be worthy of emulation. Secondly, “in conversation”. A Christian leader’s conduct must be exemplary; it must be built upon biblical principles. He must be a model of biblical living. There must be a sincere concern for personal and pervasive holiness in all aspects of the leader’s life. Thirdly, “in love”. A Christian leader ought to love others. It does not mean he must tolerate everything without discernment. Love is best expressed through serving others according to God’s truth and holiness. Fourthly, “in spirit”. A Christian leader must exhibit the control, leading and filling of the Holy Spirit. Every servant of God must seek “to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). Fifthly, “in faith”. The Greek word used here can also mean “faithfulness”. His faith in the perfection, authority and sufficiency of the Scriptures is inviolable. His message and life must show his absolute confidence and loyalty to God’s Word. Sixthly, “in purity”. The Greek word used here (hagneía) refers not only to sexual chastity, but also the intents of heart. When one’s heart is pure, one’s behaviour will also be pure. A Christian leader should never adopt a lifestyle that his people should not practise.